Household Emergency Planning

Emergencies can occur with little or no notice. You can protect yourself and those around you by taking a few simple steps so you are better prepared should an emergency situation arise.

What can you do?

home emergency plan

It is a good idea to make a home emergency plan to keep all the information you may need in an emergency in one place. Make sure it is stored somewhere that’s easy to grab if you need it and also saved to mobile phones or tablets.

A simple home emergency plan details things such as:

  • How to turn the gas, water and electricity off – it may be obvious to you but would the rest of your household know?
  • Emergency contact numbers – have a paper copy as well as storing the numbers on your mobile. Make sure you include a friend or family contact away from your home address that everyone could call to confirm they are safe.
  • Which friends could you stay with short term if your home was damage

We have searched for information about what to do in an emergency in BSL and there are few resources available. This one from Sedgemoor Council gives useful advice.

grab bag

It’s useful to make a list of essential items that you can grab quickly in an emergency or keep them stored somewhere with easy access in a small enough bag for anyone to carry. You might include:

  • Copy of your Household Emergency Plan, including a list of useful phone numbers, for example for your doctor and close relatives
  • House and car keys
  • Mobile phones & chargers
  • Wallet, purse, cash, bank cards
  • Glasses and/or contact lenses
  • Important personal documents in a waterproof bag (insurance, passports, driving licences)
  • Medication as well as copies of prescriptions for regular medication
  • Essential childcare supplies (nappies, food)
  • Bottled water and some non-perishable emergency foods
  • Spare money

When preparing for a potential emergency, its best to think first about the basics of survival: water, food and warmth.

Items you put in the Grab Bag may change seasonally or be dependent on your needs as a household. It should be checked regularly to ensure perishable items are still in date and all information and insurance is up to date. 

emergency supplies

Consider what supplies you and your household might need during an emergency lasting a few days, such as a power cut or water outage, or situations where you are advised to stay at home or to leave your home (evacuate) for safety reasons. The government recommends that you have 3 days' supplies. You might include:

  • Battery or wind-up torch – torches are safer than candles.
  • Portable power bank for charging your mobile phone.
  • Battery or wind-up radio to get updates during a power cut – a car radio can be used, however in severe weather it might be safer to stay inside. 
  • Spare batteries for torches and radio and a backup battery for any medical equipment you rely on.
  • A first aid kit (or some first aid items) including items such as waterproof plasters, bandages, a thermometer, antiseptic, eyewash solution, sterile dressings and gloves, medical tape for dressings, and tweezers.
  • Hand sanitiser and wet wipes for hygiene purposes when the water is off.
  • Bottled water – there is no standard figure for this as emergencies can vary in duration and people use different amounts. A minimum of 2.5-3 litres of drinking water per person per day is recommended by the World Health Organisation for survival. 10 litres per person per day will make you more comfortable by also providing for basic cooking and hygiene needs. Additional water might be needed to make up baby formula, for medical devices and for pets.
  • Non-perishable food that doesn’t need cooking, such as ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables (and a tin opener). As with water, how much you need will vary based on your own circumstances. Don’t forget food for pets.
  • Baby supplies such as nappies and baby formula – ready made or ‘ready-to-feed’ formula is best as you may not be able to boil water.
flood preparedness

You may want consider what to do if your home or surrounding area is affected by flooding. The following resources might be helpful:

In an emergency, the mobile phone network can be inundated with calls. Make sure you have a plan to prepare how you will stay in contact with your family. Consider a designated meeting place just outside of the immediate area where you could all agree to meet.

Once you’ve collected this important information discuss it with the whole household, practice your plan at least once a year and update it according to any issues that arise.